Chapter 122 Try to Provoke HerÂ
At least they were still talking to each other-if you could call it that.Â
But when it came to the oldest, the other kids wore guarded looks and gave cold shoulders.Â
The way those children got along was a complete tangle, like a knot you couldn’t ever hope to undo.Â
As their mother, Wendy couldn’t make sense of any of it.Â
And honestly, she didn’t even want to try anymore.Â
Same as always-there had to be something seriously wrong with the Clarks, going way back.Â
Compared to Raymond, that sly guy, Wendy wasn’t exactly the sharpest.Â
But at least she didn’t mix up faces.Â
Raymond sometimes couldn’t tell one target from another. She’d never had that problem. Back then, she’d been the organization’s ace.Â
The second Lawrence heard her say, he looked familiar, and a chill slid down his spine.Â
Right on cue, the soft smile on Wendy’s face disappeared. “I remember now where I’ve seen you.”Â
She started toward him at an unhurried pace, her steps light-like a cat toying with a mouse.Â
“You’re Maya’s little brother.”Â
In that instant, her eyes went ice-cold-so cold it felt like they could cut straight through you.Â
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Wendy’s expression went cold and distant, the hostility in it was plain as day. For a split second, Lawrence wondered if saying the wrong thing would get him beaten to death on the spot.Â
But he didn’t back down.Â
He blinked-and then, without warning, tears spilled over, running down his pale cheeks.Â
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about, ma’am.” He lifted his chin, his face tipped up, making him look especially pitiful.Â
“My dad died yesterday. A big rig ran him over… crushed him in half. I-I just really, really want my mom right now…”Â
Wendy froze, completely thrown off. “Huh?”Â
Was this kid for real?Â
Did he say his dad got run over and torn in half by a truck?Â
And he said it with such raw emotion, like he meant every word.Â
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Chapter 122 Try to Provoke HerÂ
Wendy didn’t buy a single bit of it.Â
She’d had plenty of experience with kids like him-too clever, too twisted, and always hiding something.Â
“Why are you following me?” Her face hardened.Â
“Did your father send you?” The thought of Thomas hit her like a spark, and the urge to kill rose fast and vicious. She closed the distance, her tall frame pressing in on Lawrence.Â
Realizing he couldn’t fool her, Lawrence lifted his head and met her gaze.Â
His red, tear-bright eyes held no fear at all.Â
“Are you going to kill me?” he asked.Â
His voice was calm-too calm for a kid who’d been crying just moments ago.Â
Wendy wasn’t the only one taking measure of the situation. He was reading her just as carefully.Â
He’d thought Alfred and Toby were already abnormal.Â
He was wrong.Â
The woman in front of him was something else-more dangerous than both of them combined.Â
Lawrence was usually in control of his emotions. But when it came to Maya, that control slipped, and the urge to cry followed close behind.Â
What kind of family was this?Â
How was anyone supposed to grow up happy here?Â
“Hey,” she said, her voice edged with disbelief. “You’re just a kid. Why are your thoughts so… extreme?”Â
Hearing something that dangerous come out of a child’s mouth caught her off guard. She raised a brow, a faint laugh slipping out.Â
It wasn’t like she was some kind of killer.Â
Extreme?Â
The word made him smile. On his tear-streaked face, it looked strangely out of place.Â
“But you know that, don’t you?” His voice was soft, each word precise. “I’m her biological brother.”Â
Wendy’s gaze tightened.Â
Lawrence continued, as if stating an unshakable truth, “Blood’s the only thing that really lasts,” he said. “No matter how hard people pretend, if they’re not family, they’re still outsiders.”Â
Silence followed, heavy and absolute.Â
Wendy’s expression dimmed.Â
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Chapter 122 Try to Provoke HerÂ
“I could break your neck right now,” she murmured. “Be careful how you speak to me, kid.” She smoothed her hair back, voice low and even. “There’s chaos and death everywhere in this world. People die every day.” Her gaze settled on him, steady and cold. “Even if you’re Thomas’s son, he wouldn’t be able to do a thing.Â
“If you died here today, they’d call it an accident.Â
“Trying to provoke me won’t get you anywhere,” Wendy said with a quiet sigh. Her face remained unreadable as she slipped her hand around his neck. It felt impossibly delicate-like she could snap it with the slightest pressure, cut off his breath in an instant. She didn’t flinch. Her expression stayed cold, distant. “Anyone with sense wouldn’t act as carelessly as you are.”Â
Lawrence knew exactly what he was doing. He was pushing her-on purpose.Â
He needed to know…Â
Just how much did Maya really matter to her?Â
Someone like Wendy-someone that cold-couldn’t possibly raise a normal child.Â
He wanted Maya to grow up in better environment. In warmth. And in love.Â
Not here… not in something this warped.Â
When their eyes met, Lawrence didn’t fight back. Even as her grip tightened around his throat, he stayed still. After a moment, he dipped his head, yielding in a quiet, almost unsettling kind of obedience.Â
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This Time. I’ll Be the Villain’s Favorite Daughter